When selecting a houseplant, there's a lot to consider. Can you keep it alive? Is it toxic to your pet? Does it go with you're home's aesthetic? But if you're also looking to attract luck into your home, you'll want to think about which plants can help balance your living space's energy (or chi). While it's believed in feng shui that most healthy, well-maintained plants can enhance positivity, there are certain houseplants that are especially lucky, says Diana Hathaway, an interior and feng shui designer and founder of Gorgeous Color. Keep reading to see which are the luckiest.
READ THIS NEXT: 5 Unlucky Things You Should Never Keep in Your Home, Feng Shui Experts Say.
5 Lucky Houseplants
1. Money Tree
iStock
The money tree (also known as a Pachira plant) is probably one of the most famous houseplants in feng shui. It's believed to attract prosperity, wealth, good luck, and positive energy—not only to the space around it but also to its owner, explains Angela Higgins, principal designer and owner of Nourished Home and member of the International Feng Shui Guild.
According to Chinese legend, it's believed a Pachira plant once brought great fortune to a desperate farmer, Hathaway reveals.
But don't let the money tree's reputation pressure you into putting this plant in your home if it isn't your style: Higgins says this is a common feng shui mistake. "Feng shui is about surrounding yourself with things you love that resonate with you, so make sure when choosing plants, you choose ones you like, can care for, and fit into your lifestyle and home."
2. Jade Plant
Shutterstock
The jade plant is sometimes referred to as a money plant due to its coin-shaped leaves. In fact, it's believed these very leaves are what symbolize good luck and fortune.
Higgins explains that, according to feng shui, any plant with soft, rounded leaves will bring luck by promoting gentle and nourishing energy in the home.
On the other hand, sharp plants like cacti are believed to be unlucky because they "drain energy" from your environment, says interior designerAudrey Scheck.
Jade plants tend to be common housewarming and new business gifts because of the belief that they'll bring wealth and good luck, Hathaway notes.
READ THIS NEXT: The 6 Luckiest Gemstones You Can Wear, According to Experts.
3. Lucky Bamboo
iStock
Lucky bamboo, not to be confused with traditional bamboo (which grows outside and is not a houseplant) is believed to symbolize good fortune in the home, according to feng shui. It's also believed to bring good luck, prosperity, and wealth to your workspace.
"It encourages personal growth and positive energy," Higgins explains. Hathaway adds that lucky bamboo's gracefully curving shape "encourages the seamless flow of good feng shui chi energy."
Another reason this plant is traditionally used in feng shui is that its tall, thin stalks complement wood decor nicely—and wood elements are one of the five main elements of feng shui, believed to bring vitality, growth, kindness, and flexibility into your home, Higgins says.
4. Snake Plant
New Africa / Shutterstock
Whether you call it a snake plant or its nickname "mother-in-law's tongue," this houseplant does not sound lucky. But its vertical leaves symbolize the upward growth of positive energy and prosperity in your home, Scheck explains.
In addition, the snake plant purifies the air in your home, which "promotes good oxygen levels, clean healthy air, and energy, which is the basis of positive feng shui for well-being," Higgins explains.
This is why you want to make sure any plant you bring into your home is "vibrant, lush, and healthy [as] dead or dying plants are bad for feng shui," Higgins adds.
For more home advice delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
5. Philodendron
Phuttharak / Shutterstock
This beautiful and hardy houseplant is known for how easy it is to care for and how long it lives, two qualities that promote good feng shui energy.
Moreso, though, philodendrons are lucky because of how their leaves resemble flames and are associated with the fire element of feng shui. Fire elements in the home are believed to symbolize fame as they help increase your visibility in the world, Higgins explains.
The leaves can also "fire up the chi energy in dark spaces of your home," Hathaway notes.
